Plan B

So, I was supposed to be racing a 20K Sunday but due to the huge snowstorm, it got cancelled. However, as part of my training plan I still needed to get the miles in, so I did, with friends from my running group. I ended up running 15 miles and had a great time.

As my father always says, if there’s a will, there’s a way. If you really need to get something done and are fully committed to your goal you’ll find a way to do it.

In addition to juggling my normal hectic schedule around marathon training, unexpected detours such as work commitments, as well as family or weather emergencies can always come up.

That’s why it’s important to always have back-up plans in place.

Aside from races being canceled, entire marathons can be canceled, as we all saw with Hurricane Sandy and the New York City Marathon.

What do you do if you’ve been training for many months, sacrificing hours upon hours of your time and energy, only to learn your race will not take place?

Not a problem, according to many runners I know.

Runners in my area and elsewhere who planned to run the NYC Marathon organized “marathons” of their own. They ran 26.2 miles all around their neighborhood. Many rounded up other runners to accompany them on different parts of the route, and some even turned their marathon into a fundraiser to help those affected by the hurricane.

The fact they weren’t racing or that it didn’t officially “count” made no difference to these runners. They were determined to run the distance regardless, and knew they would have many more opportunities to run the actual marathon in future years.

There are so many reasons—really good ones—as to why it’s not a good day to run, or exercise at all for that matter. You have a cold, it’s too cold out, it’s pouring rain, you have too many other commitments, the kids are home, there’s no childcare at the gym, you don’t belong to a gym, you don’t own any gym equipment, you’re too tired, you have no energy, you didn’t sleep well, you have too much work, you can’t spare even 15 minutes out of your day, and on and on.

There will never be perfect conditions to get your fitness in for the day. However, if you really want to, you’ll try your hardest to make it happen. If not one way, then another.